For many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), investing in energy efficiency offers a clear opportunity to reduce operating costs, improve competitiveness and strengthen long-term resilience. Yet even when the potential savings are evident, turning them into concrete investments is not always straightforward. Limited resources, fragmented technical support and difficulties accessing suitable financing can prevent businesses from taking action.
Addressing these barriers is a priority of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition, in which Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes (EEIP) participates through its President, Rod Janssen. In September 2026, Rod contributed as a co-author to the Final Blueprint for One-Stop-Shops for Energy Efficiency for SMEs, an initiative aimed at making energy efficiency support more accessible and better coordinated across Europe.
Connecting Energy Efficiency Ambitions with Investment
The European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition works to mobilise private investment in energy efficiency, improve access to financing for enterprises and citizens, and reduce the risks associated with energy efficiency projects and investment portfolios. It also seeks to stimulate demand for energy efficiency solutions, recognising that available capital alone cannot deliver results unless businesses are ready and able to invest.
EEIP is represented by Rod Janssen among 41 Coalition members from the energy efficiency solutions sector and energy-intensive industry. This participation provides an opportunity to bring an industry-oriented perspective into European discussions about financing, investment barriers and the practical conditions needed to accelerate energy efficiency improvements.
For SMEs in particular, these discussions are highly relevant. Unlike larger companies, smaller businesses may not have dedicated energy managers or the internal capacity to investigate available technologies, compare financing options and oversee implementation. Even relatively straightforward efficiency improvements can become difficult to pursue when businesses must coordinate several providers and navigate unfamiliar administrative processes.
The challenge is therefore not simply to make more financing available, but also to make the entire investment process easier to understand and manage.
A Dedicated Working Group for SME Energy Efficiency
In January 2026, the Coalition launched its Working Group on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, with Rod Janssen participating as a member.
The Working Group addresses two closely related challenges. The first concerns creating demand for energy efficiency improvements and helping SMEs access the financing needed to implement them. The second focuses on the companies delivering energy efficiency services and solutions, examining how suitable financing arrangements, risk-reduction mechanisms and innovative business models can support their activities.
To address these questions, the group organises its work around three complementary streams: demand activation, business models for energy service companies, and blending and guarantees.
These areas reflect different parts of the same investment challenge. Businesses need to recognise opportunities and feel confident pursuing them, service providers need viable models for delivering improvements, and financial institutions need mechanisms that make investments more attractive and manageable.
Together, the workstreams aim to strengthen the connection between energy efficiency demand, technical solutions and available capital.
Making Energy Efficiency Support Easier to Access
An important development emerged from the demand activation workstream in September 2026, when the Working Group prepared the Final Blueprint for One-Stop-Shops for Energy Efficiency for SMEs. Rod Janssen was among its authors.
The Blueprint is designed to promote the development of one-stop-shops, an approach outlined in the revised 2023 Energy Efficiency Directive.
The principle is relatively simple: instead of requiring SMEs to navigate each stage of an energy efficiency investment independently, a one-stop-shop can provide a more coordinated route to relevant information, technical expertise, financing guidance and implementation support.
For example, a small manufacturer interested in reducing energy consumption may need help identifying suitable measures, assessing their financial viability and understanding which financing instruments are available. Bringing these services together can reduce complexity and make it easier for businesses to progress from initial interest to investment.
One-stop-shops are not necessarily identical across Europe. Their structure and services can reflect national market conditions, existing support systems and the needs of local businesses. What matters is providing SMEs with a clearer, more accessible pathway to action.
From European Guidance to National Markets
Following its preparation, the Blueprint was presented to a meeting of the Coalition’s National Hubs, which play an important role in connecting European financing initiatives with national circumstances.
The hubs are designed as incubators for financing solutions adapted to individual markets. They can contribute to identifying regulatory and market barriers, developing pipelines of energy efficiency projects and encouraging cooperation among stakeholders involved in financing and implementation.
Their mandates and specific work programmes are defined by the participating EU countries and National Hubs, with support from the European Commission and the Coalition secretariat.
This national dimension is particularly important because SMEs across Europe do not face identical conditions. Financing practices, available support schemes, energy prices and market structures vary between countries. Approaches that work in one market may therefore require adaptation elsewhere.
By presenting the Blueprint to the National Hubs, the Working Group has brought its recommendations into a forum where they can inform discussions about nationally appropriate support structures.
EEIP’s Contribution to Practical Energy Efficiency Solutions
EEIP’s involvement in the Coalition reflects its broader commitment to connecting energy efficiency expertise with the businesses, stakeholders and decision-makers who can put it into practice.
Through European projects, industry engagement and policy discussions, EEIP works to support the exchange of knowledge and the development of conditions that make industrial energy efficiency improvements possible.
Rod Janssen’s contribution to the SME Working Group and the One-Stop-Shops Blueprint extends this work into the financing landscape, where technical opportunities must be matched with practical support and viable investment arrangements.
The central message is clear: improving SME energy efficiency requires more than demonstrating potential savings. It also requires accessible guidance, effective business models and financing solutions that respond to the realities of smaller enterprises.
Learn more about the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition and its activities.
